Generally, a wireless terminal is a communication device for transmitting and receiving calls to and from another party anywhere as a user conveniently carries it. Previously, the wireless terminal has been used for voice communications only, but recently the wireless terminal is useful for transmitting and receiving multimedia information.
The wireless terminal is portable because the terminal has a battery for supplying power. In order to connect the battery and the terminal body to each other, the body and the battery are equipped with contacts. However, in case of an impact to the wireless terminal, the battery and terminal contacts may be disconnected thereby interrupting power to the wireless terminal.
FIG. 1 is a disassembled perspective view showing a battery of a wireless terminal in accordance with the conventional art, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1.
As shown, the conventional wireless terminal includes: a body 10; a battery 20 detachably mounted at the body and supplying power to the body; and a contact portion 30 for electrically connecting the body 10 and the battery 20 to each other.
The body 10 includes: a printed circuit board (PCB) 14 (shown on FIG. 2) mounted therein and having circuit components; a battery compartment 11 for mounting the battery 20; a folder 12 rotatably coupled to the outside of the body 10 and having a display (not shown); and an antenna 13 provided at one side thereof.
The PCB 14 receives an electric power from the battery 20 through the contact portions 30. The contact portions will be explained in greater detail below.
The battery compartment 11 is provided with a contact terminal 31 for contacting a corresponding flat metal terminal 36 on the battery 20 thereby transmitting power.
The battery compartment 11 is provided with an outer peripheral wall 45 protruding to a certain height along the circumference of the battery 20 in order to firmly fix the battery 20 to the body 10.
A coupling protrusion 41 partially inserted into a coupling groove 42 formed on the battery 20 is provided at the center of one side of the outer peripheral wall 45. Also, on the opposite side of the outer peripheral wall 45, a fixing groove 44 is provided for inserting a fixing protrusion 43 of the battery 20 thereby fixing a lower end of the battery 20.
The coupling protrusion 41 is mounted to the body 10 by a spring (not shown) so as to be easily inserted into the coupling groove 42 when attaching the battery 20 to/from the body 10. The coupling protrusion 41 is integrally formed with a coupling member 40.
The battery 20 is provided with flat metal terminals 36 on one side surface of the battery 20 for contacting the battery compartment 11. Also, the coupling groove 42 having a certain depth for inserting the coupling protrusion 41 formed at the body 10 is formed at the center of one edge of the battery 20 so as to couple the battery 20 to the body 10. Also, the fixing protrusion 43 protruded with a certain height to be inserted into the fixing groove 44 formed at the body 10, for fixing a lower end of the battery 20 to the body 10 is provided at both sides of a lower end of the battery 20.
As shown in FIG. 2, the contact portion 30 includes: a contact terminal 31 inserted into a contact accommodating hole 32 penetrating a case of the body 10 where the battery compartment 11 is formed; a retainer 37 circumferentially protruding at one end of the contact accommodating hole 32 preventing the contact terminal 31 from being detached from the contact accommodating hole 32; and an elastic spring 33 connected to one end of the contact terminal 31 for supporting the contact terminal 31.
A circumferential stopping protrusion 34 is formed for contacting the retainer 37 at one side of the contact terminal 31.
A lower end of the elastic spring 33 is fixed to the PCB 14 by a soldering portion 35, and the soldering portion 35 is connected to a PCB contact portion 15 of the PCB 14. The contact terminal 31, the elastic spring 33, the soldering portion 35 and the PCB contact portion 15 are formed of conductive material to be used for supplying power of the battery 20.
The conventional battery contact system of a wireless terminal will be explained as follows. When the battery 20 is coupled to the body 10, the fixing protrusion 43 formed on one surface of the battery 20 are inserted into the fixing groove 44 of the body 10 thereby fixing a lower end of the battery 20 to the body 10. Then, a rear surface of the battery 20 is attached to the body 10 thereby to insert the coupling protrusion 41 of the coupling member 40 to the coupling groove 42 formed on one surface of the battery 20.
As the battery 20 is coupled to the body 10, the metal terminal 36 of the battery 20 presses the contact terminal 31 into the body 10. As the result, the contact terminal 31 is inserted into the body 10 by the elastic spring 33 and is in point-contact with the metal terminal 36. As the contact terminal 31 and the metal terminal 36 are in contact with each other, battery power is supplied to the body 10. In the conventional battery contact system of a wireless terminal, the contact terminal 31 mounted at the body 10 is biased by the spring to be in point-contact with the metal terminal 36 mounted at the battery 20 thereby supplying power to the body 10.
However, when an impact is applied to the wireless terminal, the contact terminal 31 mounted at the body 10 may become detached from the metal terminal 36 by overcoming the bias of spring 33 thereby to interrupting power to the body 10.
Also, since the soldering portion 35 is used to connect the contact terminal 31 to the PCB contact portion 15, and the elastic spring 33 is biased to support the contact terminal 31, fabrication processes are complicated and the fabrication cost is increased.